Dark Chocolate
by Mitsukai20
Summary: First in the 3-Part Rikkai Valentine Series. Valentine's Day was coming up, and Sanada can't help but worry as, according to Yanagi, Yukimura would finally give out chocolate to a special someone. SanaFem!Yuki


I know it's a long while until Valentines Day, but lately I've been feeling the love fever lately (it comes in the territory of being in a new relationship *blushes*), and that I don't want to be lazy in writing the other two chapters. This is the first part of the 3-part Rikkai's Valentine's Day Special that I've thought out. Also, as a change of pace, I've written a hetero!pairing for the main Rikkai couples, because I wanted to experiment if I could also write a straight pair. So con-crit is encouraged, but flaming, please

Again and again, PoT is not mine, and I'm pretty sure that Yukimura, Yagyuu and Akaya would skin me alive if they find out that I've turned them into girls.

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><p>It was the most dreaded day for any male in the history of the world.<p>

Valentine's Day.

And since they really couldn't do anything about it (since the tradition of Valentine's Day was already there even before the tennis club came to be) Sanada Genichirou immediately decided to cancel practice for the whole day, with the whole tennis club backing him up wholeheartedly with his decision. They dreaded and anticipated this day at the same time: while it gave them a rare day off from practice, it also served as a day wherein they would try to hide slash run away from their sizable female admirers alike, especially among those in the regulars, who were apparently chosen because of their tennis skills… and extreme good-looking qualities that would make you think that joining their tennis club was like joining an all-male pageant.

It wasn't as if they had tried to continue tennis practice during this day before. They did it last year, but the club was very much distracted with all the ladies crowding around the chain link fence, the day of love giving them the extra courage to cheer on their favorite player, which in turn made most of them blush darkly or stay dazed during practice itself, causing more injuries than the whole year of tennis practice combined.

So Sanada, having the good sense and presence of mind to never repeat history again, learned that the accursed day was going to celebrated on a school day, immediately informed his regulars about it, with Yanagi telling them the most strategic places in which some of them could hide when not in classes.

Needless to say, Valentine's Day in Rikkaidai Fuzoku tended to be… messy, to say the least.

Sanada tried to not let the 'love fever' in Rikkaidai get to him, his head throbbing as he tried to think of a day that could accommodate their missed practice day. He was pretty sure that the day itself would be a workout, a workout for their stealth and ability to sneak around the school undetected by the female population alike. As much as he wanted to skip the day and just spend the rest of the occasion at home, his spotless attendance record got in the way, that and the fact that the girls, for this one day, would suddenly have some sort of homing signal that would enable them to find him quickly.

Heaven only knew how they're able to do that.

It would be good practice for tennis, but for the love of god, if he was going to arrive at his house with clothes half-torn and a ton of chocolate stuffed in his bag (which happened last year), he was going to lose his mind. Putting aside the paperwork he had been studying for a few minutes, he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and willing the pain away. He was giving himself a headache with all these thinking.

The soft clink against the table made him look up, first seeing the cup of steaming hot tea in front of him, then the hand that grasped the beverage. His ochre gaze travelled up, from the slender wrist, to the milky white arm, slowly… slowly… his eyes meeting the edge of skin and cloth, roaming over the sleeve of the dark green uniform, up… up… to the juncture of shoulder and neck, seeing white again, until finally, to a pair of lips, high cheekbones, soft flowing hair, to a pair of brilliant cerulean eyes which showed a tinge of concern and warmth which was directed at him.

"Sanada? Are you feeling all right?"

Sanada shook off the headache to stare more fully at the person beside him, blinking as his eyes finally focused on an angelic face hovering above him. The angel chuckled at his expression, offering a sweet smile as the drink was firmly placed on the table.

"You look troubled." The scrape of a seat was heard afterwards, with the person sitting beside the black-haired teen, putting down a pile of papers, starting to sort through them. "Is there something wrong in the club?"

The mention of the tennis club snapped Sanada back to reality and made him look down to his work once again, taking the drink and murmuring his thanks, sure that the other person heard it clearly. "No… just thinking about something."

The angel made a thoughtful hum, the soft note reverberating inside Sanada like a ripple in a pond. Tried as he might to concentrate on his work, he can't help but stray his eyes on the person beside him, silently drinking in a sight of ethereal beauty that made his heart pound loudly just for being with close proximity in it.

Yukimura Seiichi. The captain of the Rikkaidai Fuzoku girl's tennis team. She had acquired a reputation for being the best of the best, even beating Sanada, the captain of the _boy's_ tennis team, in consecutive sets, earning her the title of the 'Goddess'. Niou liked to call her the captain with the 'boobs of steel' (though Sanada had immediately slapped him for making such a rude comment to the lady, never mind the fact that Yukimura had taken it as a compliment), since the girl's training can rival of those of the boys and that they're also of national caliber. It also helped that she had the face and the figure of one, but, for reasons unfathomable, she had remained single all throughout her middle school days, puzzling her girl friends and the male population alike.

"Thinking about what?" She stopped her work and looked at her childhood friend, who looked more stressed than usual. She knew that handling the boy's tennis team wasn't something to be taken of lightly, and sometimes she wondered how Sanada was able to do it. It's a good thing her girls were much more disciplined than the rowdy bunch of Rikkaidai boys.

"Valentine's Day."

"Ah," She made a sympathetic sound. "My girls are threatening mutiny if I didn't let them off during that day." She chuckled, looking up at him for a short moment. "It's such a troublesome holiday, don't you think?"

Sanada had to agree, although… he can't help but be curious, however, as they went back of their respective works in peace, sneaking glances every now and then at the beautiful girl seated beside him. There was no denying that she was very attractive, and even he, though knowing her for the longest time, wasn't immune to the sudden surge of masculine admiration when staring at her. In fact, it seemed to intensify further as the years passed, and now he was painfully aware of her, not as his formerly tomboyish childhood friend, but as a girl.

A very pretty and slender girl.

And with such close proximity with her, he wondered how he had been able to sit there and concentrate on his work, while another male of his age would most certainly try to try and take her out on a date, especially with Valentine's Day coming up soon.

Was she also going to give out chocolates?

Knowing her, Sanada could safely assume that she wouldn't. She hadn't for the past two years, after all, and this year wouldn't be different. However, he can't help but be alarmed and concerned when their mutual best friend, Yanagi, had told him of the possibility of her finally giving out chocolates for this year.

"_**Genichirou, I just wanted to tell you that this year, the possibility of Seiichi giving out chocolates on Valentine's Day would be extremely high." Yanagi casually informed him a week before the said day. Sanada had been busy trying to separate Niou and Marui again, but when the words finally sunk in, he rounded on the data Master so quickly that he almost cricked his neck.**_

"_**What!"**_

"_**But she's hasn't given for the past two years, is what you're going to say." Yanagi continued calmly, but a smirk played on his lips, unsettling Sanada more than he realized. "It seems that she's finally going to confess to her long time crush."**_

"_**So who's the guy?" Sanada had tried for the same casualness as Yanagi, but a sense of danger and jealously was carefully layered in his tone. Whoever his childhood friend picked had to go through him first. Yanagi had to stop himself from chuckling at the obviously possessive raven teen.**_

"_**I promised Seiichi that I wouldn't tell." Yanagi had changed back to his school clothes, chuckling at Sanada's clearly upset look. **_

"_**And besides, she doesn't even know that I know."**_

Tried as he might to wrangle some more information out of the brunet, Yanagi Renji simply didn't cave to threats, bribes and trades. The other teen had stayed infuriatingly silent, and Sanada wondered if Yanagi had a sadistic streak in him, which unfortunately cannot be utilized against him, as he had a girlfriend of his own, a fiery second year named Kirihara Ayaka who was Yukimura's vice-captain in the tennis club. Sanada had every reason to be worried.

"Sanada?" Seeing as he was spacing out again, Sanada look his head at the girl's worry and both of them continued on, well used to the silence that usually comes between them when they're working. Sanada was grateful for the cup of tea, it was soothing and calming, making his mind clear as he shuffled through the businesses on the tennis club quickly and easily. Yukimura did know him best, after all, and usually didn't pry into his affairs. She was always there to always lend a sympathetic ear to him, and that was one of the innumerous reasons why he cared for her so much.

The hours drifted by as they both finished their paperwork, and it nearly sunset when a hand on his shoulder stopped Sanada from his work, making him look up, seeing Yukimura smiling at him.

"Sanada, take a break for today. The papers are not going to run away, you know."

"But–"

She chuckled and squeezed his shoulder, telling him without words that she was not taking no for an answer. Seeing that he was not going to win this, Sanada opted to just go instead of argue, standing up and alleviating the tension that built up on his neck and arm. The work had done its job in distracting him from his thoughts, but now that they closed the room and headed home together, Sanada couldn't exactly stop his thoughts that now wondered and centered on the female beside him… more specifically, on what she was going to do for the dreaded holiday.

He worked himself up into a mild panic attack by the time her soft, worried voice finally managed to breakthrough his errant thoughts. "Sanada? Are you sure that you're all right?" Her concerned face suddenly filled his vision, and Sanada suddenly found that he can't breathe. Yukimura was close, too close for his comfort, a palm pressing against his forehead, checking his temperature. He swallowed thickly, trying to find the words to say, when he saw her lips turn into a small frown, bottom lip pouting slightly, making her look more adorable than ever. He didn't notice that they stopped walking, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, but thankfully they were the only people present for the moment.

"I-I'm fine." Damn, his voice broke. God, his childhood friend looked so… _cute_. He coughed and steadied his voice, gaining composure. "Don't worry about me, Yukimura."

That worried look didn't suit her, Sanada thought, more interested in looking at her than listen to what she's saying. Her hair was longer now, he noted, loose, free and spilling down to her waist, blue-black tresses that he was sure was soft to the touch. He suddenly had the urge to twine a lock in his fingers and press her hair to his lips, wanting to catch a whiff of her scent, smelling of lilies and lavender, her two favorite flowers. But what he noticed the most was her face, now so animated and expressive, her cerulean-colored eyes showing him every emotion that passed through her mind at that very moment.

Suddenly she stopped talking and looked straight back at him, as if realizing that she was doing, and a shade of pink splashed across her cheeks, removing her hand, making Sanada wish that it stayed there a little bit longer. He blinked, wondering about the sudden change in personality. "I'm sorry." Yukimura said softly, actually looking away, resting a hand on her elbow as she looked down. "But you look so distracted lately. I just can't help but… be worried about you." She confessed quietly, her hold tightening on her elbow as she bit her lip, stealing a glance at him.

She was… embarrassed? Scratch that, she was worried about him? Sanada didn't know why, but her actions made her very… endearing. A small, barely imperceptible smile made its way to his lips, shaking his head as his absurdity. Why was he so worried about Valentine's Day anyway? He didn't want her worrying about him, especially not for something as ridiculous as a holiday. Pushing all of his thoughts aside, he leaned forward on impulse, cupping her cheek and brushing his lips against her forehead, just like when they were children when they wanted to comfort each other. He felt her freeze in surprise, clearly not expecting the gesture, and bit back his widening smile as he pulled away.

Somehow, Sanada knew that it would be just fine.

-/-

It was the dreaded day, and Sanada found himself in the corridor, trying not to feel like he just killed someone when he refused another gift from a hopeful girl, yet again. Exhaling a long suffering breath he escaped into his classroom, just in time to bypass Niou, who had an arm around Yagyuu Hiromi, his classmate and a part of the girl's tennis team. He saw the candy box in Niou's hands and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes when Niou turned and gave him a holier-than-thou smirk. They were dating for a while, all of which that started when Yagyuu went to the tennis courts to talk to Yukimura, and Niou, by mere coincidence, saw her for the first time. The Trickster thought it then appropriate to voice out his less-than-platonic infatuation-at-first-sight feelings for her right then and here by shouting if she wanted to go on a date with him out loud across the courts, and they'd been at it since. Sanada wondered on what his studious, responsible friend had seen in his bleached, mischievous teammate to like him that much, but he wasn't the one to judge, since Niou became relatively tamer when she was around.

Letting the lovers walk off he ducked inside the room and made a beeline for his seat, relieved that this female classmates had the mind to not give him something that day. They knew him well enough that he wouldn't even consider accepting their chocolates even though it was given merely as a sign of friendship.

That, and they also knew that he was waiting for a certain girl's chocolate first.

Sanada stared out into the halls, where, through the clear windows, he saw girls running around, the occasional guys who were travelling in groups, and the rarer exchange of valentine gifts out for the whole school population to see. He saw Yanagi pass by with Ayaka in arm, the junior giggling and beaming happily as she looked adoringly up her boyfriend. He knew of Yanagi's plan of surprising Ayaka by visiting her floor and giving her a gift in front of her classroom instead of the other way around; his vice-captain had confided to him that Ayaka was feeling really insecure in their relatively young relationship and Yanagi felt a need to reassure her that everything was perfect when it came to her.

Sanada sighed, turning away from the window to look at outside. Ever since that day, he hadn't seen Yukimura at all. Was she avoiding him? A part of him cursed himself for letting himself get carried away at that moment. He shouldn't have kissed her without knowing what she felt about it. Fat load of good his not worrying about Valentine's Day did to him, now he wondered if they were still friends after what he did. It was a stupid move on his part, and he didn't even explain what he was doing, just brushing past her and leaving her there standing because he didn't want her to see his own blushing face afterwards. That night he pummeled his pillow and tried not to think about it, but it was hard to not relieve that way her skin felt against his lips, to taste lingering sweat and _her_ and–

Sanada frowned, burying his face in his folded arms. Damn it, he seriously had to stop thinking about his childhood best friend before he started to hope, because he didn't know if it's going to be reciprocated and he didn't want to experience heartbreak firsthand. Yukimura Seiichi was beautiful and smart and kind, and he was sure that she could find a guy better than him. It was a good thing, though, that no one reported on having seen Yukimura pass out chocolates to someone yet, but Yanagi's words haunted him, and Sanada would bet his life that Yanagi did not say that just out of a mere whim.

A few hours later the bell for lunch signaled their break, and Sanada merely sighed once more, going out of his seat to go to the cafeteria, not really looking forward to seeing the couples sitting left and right on the tables. Quickly buying his food to avoid the crowd rush, he escaped to the rooftop garden, where it was, thankfully, free of snuggling and cuddling couples. He took a seat on the bench, staring out into the garden, knowing that this beautification project was spearheaded by Yukimura, who concentrated her efforts into making their rooftop more accessible and comfortable for the students. He stared at the spring flowers, profusely blooming, lunch in hand and occasionally taking bite out of it, feeling a bit thoughtful.

The door to the rooftop was unceremoniously opened, and his eyes caught a flash of midnight blue. "Sanada!" Yukimura stepped in, aware of Sanada's initial surprise at seeing her and preferred to not show it outwardly. She smiled, closing the door and walking up to him, her lunch also at hand.

She tied her hair up today, Sanada randomly thought as he watched her approach. Her long hair was pulled up into a messy bun, a few strands falling out of place and framing her face, and he found that he preferred to see her with her hair loose, flowing like a curtain behind her back. But she still looked beautiful, no matter how her hair looked.

"Yukimura," he acknowledged her presence, shifting a bit to the side so she could down beside him. She looked to be the same as always, and not treating him differently at all, making him feel both relieved and strangely disappointed at the same time.

"I didn't see you all day. Were you in the classroom?" She busied herself in untying the wrap of her lunch, and Sanada found himself once again looking at her before hearing the question. Damn it Sanada Genichirou, focus, his mind told him blatantly when it was clear that he was perfectly content in just staring at her the whole day.

"Trying to avoid the usual." He had told her, of course, of what happened to him in last year's event. She made a little noise of sympathy, offering a part of her bento to him. He took it without reservation, and the spent the rest of the break eating silently, just enjoying the great food and each other's company. Sanada found himself forgetting his small dilemma, as he quietly listened as she talked, finding a measure of contentment just staying like that.

But the spell that had befallen them both broke when the bell rang once again, indicating the start of afternoon class. Sanada blinked when he heard it, he didn't notice how much time had passed since the start of break.

"It's time." He made to stand up, but a hand on sleeve stopped him from doing so, and he stared at the other in slight confusion.

"Sanada, wait." Yukimura sounded unsure, making Sanada stop and look at her with some concern. She looked conflicted, brows furrowed slightly in thought. Was there something wrong? But before he could ask, she turned to him, eyes resolute.

She moved, faster than he expected. Suddenly there was a hand on his cheek, hands holding his face steady, and in the split second his eyes darted from the hand and back front he found her sitting close, closer than ever before, her face filling his vision. He could now see the black tinting the edges of blue irises, the light blemishes on her cheeks and across her nose that he didn't know she had. She moved up, bringing their faces close, sapphire disappearing underneath half-lidded eyelids.

And brown eyes widened, hands falling to the side as his body froze, mind a completely blank slate as his heart stuttered, and completely broke into overdrive.

Something bittersweet entered his mouth, minty, a bit grainy, yet not overpowering. Ah, so his mouth had been open, he thought vaguely, the idea of fighting back not even on his mind as he accepted the treat, letting the taste of dark chocolate melt into his tongue. Nougat, vanilla, cocoa… ah, a hint of milk. There was also something else, a flavor he can't describe, and yet found it more desirable than the chocolate itself. He closed his eyes, wanting to discover more of that taste, and sighed as he finally found it, pure and concentrated, enough to drive him completely crazy.

He swallowed, feeling the larger pieces slide down smoothly down his throat, and never thought eating chocolate could be so… _pleasurable_.

And just when he thought that he needed to breathe their lips parted, a strand of liquid still connected them together. He exhaled, lips still tingling, and hadn't realized that he had all but pulled Yukimura into his lap at that moment, her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist, a hand up and tangled in her hair, which was now pulled loose and flying wildly around them.

She still looked half-dazed, but was staring at him with an expression that could only be interpreted as the cat that had caught the canary _and_ the bird.

And that was the time his mind decided to kick-start its thinking process again. The blood on his face suddenly drained and rushed back to him at the same time, horror and embarrassment coming together in one large tidal wave. His face ignited, mouth hanging open in shock, and his mind cheerfully deducted that that he had been intensely making out with his childhood friend just moments ago. "Uh…"

She gave a small, playful smile, pulling him close and pressing their foreheads together. "And that… was payback." She whispered, tongue darting out and catching the traces of melted chocolate on his bottom lip. She hopped out of the bench, still licking her lips, and quickly escaped to the door, giving a cheery wave.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Genichirou!"

He stayed there, gaping, eyes still wide as he watched her disappear from his sight, a hand going up to touch his lips, fingers tracing his bottom lip. He could still taste the dark chocolate on his tongue, and now he knew what that other indescribable taste was.

He wasn't able to move for quite some time, still trying to regain sensation in his legs and when he finally did, he was late for class, and found that he really couldn't care less. The rest of the day passed by in a blur, his movements strangely uncoordinated now, always banging and colliding into various objects, his face still a bright red. People naturally noticed, and he could only look away and grumble as he caught Yanagi's eye and knowing smile several times. He however, managed to catch Yukimura just after classes and they went home together as always, but now she was leaning on his shoulder, their hands clasped together as their relationship changed for the better.

And promptly flailed and tripped over air when he heard Yukimura's bright, tinkling laugh. Again.

_Damn it._

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><p>Please read and review. The next part might be Kinky or Platinum, decide for me, but I absolutely did Alpha Pair first because I feel more comfortable in writing them.<p>

Oh, and also...

*coughs* My lover says hi to my fans. He wants to thank you all profusely for 'converting' me, or so he says, and assures you that he'll take care of me and will try his best to be my... inspiration in later works. He also wants me to write our story, Rikkaidai style.

*blushes* ... Excuse me while I maul my boyfriend to death.

_**Mitsukai20**_


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